We are just seven days from the league’s offseason Super Bowl, the 2023 NFL Draft. Official visits are over, and teams have scurried into their dimly lit, coffee-fueled caves to move names on magnetic blocks around a whiteboard. What kind of intel has Adam Caplan uncovered recently for his mock draft? Let’s find out!
NFL Draft Rumors: Bryce Young Size Issue Is ‘Overblown’
Bryce Young is short. He’s also relatively lean, playing somewhere likely around the 190-pound mark. The Alabama QB will be by far the smallest starting quarterback in the NFL, and nobody seems to care.
Caplan’s source said that the Carolina Panthers are comfortable making Young their next franchise quarterback. Caplan explained that because of Young’s pocket manipulation and how he handles pressure, Carolina and other franchises believe “the size issues are overblown.”
Tyree Wilson Goes Before Will Anderson Jr.
Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. doesn’t fall far, as he goes to the Arizona Cardinals on the very next pick. However, Tyree Wilson going before Anderson could raise some eyebrows.
And if we look at each player independent of the situation, most would have Anderson clearing Wilson by some margin. The reality is teams are not a one-size-fits-all thing. Size thresholds and scheme fit are real things.
MORE: 100% FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
DeMeco Ryans’ San Francisco defenses fielded different pass rushers, but their preference was longer, more traditional defensive end types. Add Wilson’s athletic and technical upside, and it wouldn’t be the craziest thing to see him become the first defensive player off the board.
Texans Have Cake and Eat It Too With Anthony Richardson Selection
Word on the street is that the Houston Texans don’t love any of the quarterbacks in this class besides Young. That is, they don’t necessarily love them enough to take them with the second overall pick.
Caplan noted that Anthony Richardson is “the true wild card in this draft. He could go anywhere from fourth overall to the late teens.”
The history of one-year college starters in the NFL is not great, but Richardson’s upside is too tantalizing for the Texans to pass on at 12. They get their defensive piece and their potential franchise QB.
While it may seem shocking to most to see only two quarterbacks inside the top 10, don’t forget the rumors that the NFL isn’t as high on Richardson and Levis as many media members, or that some graded Hendon Hooker higher than both.
Off-Field Concerns Don’t Concern the Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Carter went No. 5 overall in Caplan’s mock draft. He noted that the Seahawks have an extensive history of dealing with players exhibiting off-the-field red flags. Caplan was told by several teams that Carter is the best player in the class based on tape, and that he’s one of the best defensive linemen prospects of the past decade.
This was all true a year ago before Carter was even draft eligible. He was the best player on a Georgia defense that had five first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, including the No. 1 overall selection. Despite all of that talent, it was hard to scout them because No. 88 was flashing like a firework on the defensive line.
4 Wide Receivers Drafted in Round 1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be a first-round pick. But according to Senior Bowl President Jim Nagy, he’s the only first-round grade for many NFL teams. That, however, doesn’t mean that only one will hear their name called on Thursday.
Most draft classes only have around 15 “first-round grades” total. Therefore, many on the back end that are drafted hold later grades.
Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison all made their way into the first round. League sources tell Caplan that the Chargers are looking to add speed at the position, which makes Flowers, Johnston, and also Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt options at 21.
MORE: Top 10 Wide Receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft
Multiple high-ranking NFL personnel executives believe Flowers should be off the board anywhere between 11-25. This warms my heart and will certainly have resident Flowers’ truther and College Football Network analyst Oliver Hodginkson’s heart full. Because aside from his diminutive stature, Flowers is a first-round player. Caplan also explained that Flowers won’t be coveted by every team because of that size.
Caplan has spoken to multiple receiver coaches that believe Addison gives the Giants a polished player with good hands that can stretch defenses.
Peter Skoronski First Lineman Drafted
It’s not often we see a guard go before a tackle in the NFL Draft, but Peter Skoronski is not your average interior blocker. Although OL coaches and personnel executives believe the Northwestern left tackle will have to move inside at the NFL level because of his lack of anatomical length, he’s one of the best players in the class.
Caplan said that word around the league is Skoronski is one of only 12-13 players in this class to hold a true first-round grade. The Chicago Bears desperately need reinforcements on the offensive line, and Skoronksi offers that.
According to mock draft data collected by fans, analysts, and professionals by Benjamin Robinson at Grinding the Mocks, Paris Johnson Jr. and Skoronski’s tags are practically touching. It will be fascinating to see if Skoronksi or Johnson, who played on the interior at Ohio State while Skoronski exclusively played left tackle, will be off the board first.
Lukas Van Ness Goes No. 10 to Philadelphia Eagles
Lukas Van Ness is not a finished product. However, his size and natural power make him an intriguing fit in Sean Desai’s TITE front that he bases his defense on. Van Ness has outside-in versatility and great length, so playing as a 4i is certainly in the cards for the Iowa Hawkeye.
Caplan explains that the Eagles are one of the most forward-thinking teams in the NFL. They drafted Jason Kelce’s replacement before he retired, which he still hasn’t done. They drafted Jordan Davis while Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave were still dominating opposing offenses. And with Brandon Graham turning 35, several personnel executives believe Van Ness won’t make it past the Eagles at 10.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select Will Levis
This could be the most interesting pick from the mock draft. Until recently, a bit of a slip was almost expected for Will Levis. Today, however, his odds to go fourth overall have skyrocketed, likely because of Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager.
“I put my mock draft out on Tuesday, and the biggest feedback I’ve gotten from around the league is… don’t sleep on Will Levis and the Colts,” Schrager said on the show Thursday morning.
The fit in Tampa Bay is nice. Levis could probably use a season of working on getting completely healthy, staying healthy, and working on some things mechanically while getting used to the speed of the NFL as a processor.
3 Tight Ends Go in Round 1
Dalton Kincaid became a Green Bay Packer with pick No. 15. The Cowboys took Michael Mayer at 26, and the Bengals drafted Luke Musgrave at 28.
“Dalton Kincaid is clearly the best player available at his position in what could be the deepest tight end class we’ve seen in more than a decade,” Caplan wrote in his mock draft.
Kincaid is a smooth operator who already looks like a professional pass catcher. The history of drafting first-round tight ends is particularly ugly, but the Packers have a massive need there.
MORE: Should Green Bay Target a WR or TE in Round 1?
Mayer might be a bit boring, and both Peyton Hendershot and Jake Ferguson flashed as rookies. Still, neither have the pedigree of Mayer, who walked into a program with NFL tight ends on the roster and immediately outproduced them at just 19.
A league source told Caplan that the Bengals tried to re-sign TE Hayden Hurst, who eventually ended up a Panther. The position is a need for the Bengals, and Duke Tobin and Co. haven’t been shy about using valuable capital at the position in the past.
Bijan Robinson is a Buffalo Bill
He has to go somewhere, and while the Buffalo Bills drafted James Cook, who is quite talented, Bijan Robinson is one of the better RB prospects we’ve seen in recent history. The league has finally (potentially) figured out where they should be valued come draft day.
